127 groups support a memorandum demanding an ambitious Plastics Treaty from the Malaysian delegation at INC-5.2 in Geneva.
SELANGOR (04/08/2025) – “Sweet, icy, and sealed in layers of plastic” – That’s how our newsletter writer Yi Huan described a drink that was given to her as a kind gesture by a friend. A simple act of kindness, but she felt speechless knowing very well where those plastics might end up.
This is not the case for everyone. Too many of us have naturalised single-use plastics in our lives, from “ikat tepi” drinks to UFO saucers at the kopitiam.
Have we begun to consider whether we truly need all these plastics? What are the consequences? How did we shift into this culture of normalising single-use disposable?
We just wrapped up Plastic Free July, and to be honest, it was quiet for Zero Waste Malaysia this year.
A hopeless situation?
Each year, we try to raise awareness on the dangers of wastefulness and what people can do to reduce unnecessary plastics in their daily lives during this month, but somehow it feels like things are not changing.
Plastic bans end up as mere headlines. BYO (Bring-your-own) campaigns only last a week, and despite our efforts, single-use plastics are overwhelming our waste management systems and piling up on our streets.
The plastic threat
We do not talk enough about how dangerous plastics can be. We cannot make informed decisions about what we buy because of the lack of transparency from manufacturers and brands regarding the actual chemical contents of plastic products and food packaging.
Scientists have found that these plastics leach toxic chemicals when in use and disposed of, and break down into microplastics. Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size, and have been found in our blood, lungs, livers, babies, brains and even breastmilk.
This isn’t a proud statement, but here is where we are – Malaysia has been identified as a country with the highest microplastic consumption per capita. HIGHEST consumption per capita. Let that sink in.
Chemicals in plastics and microplastics have already been linked to many serious health issues, including various cancers, respiratory disorders, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as affecting our endocrine, hormone and reproductive systems.
It is becoming apparent that we are not in a position where we need to save the Earth, but we are running out of time to save ourselves.
Now we’re not saying all plastics are avoidable. Aeroplanes, medical supplies, infrastructure, etc., all contain plastic. The key here is removing problematic, avoidable and unnecessary plastics. These are items that are often made with low-quality plastics or mixed materials, cannot be recycled, and are discarded after being used once, ending up in our environments, damaging our ecosystems. Not to mention volumes that have been dumped over the years from more developed nations due to waste colonialism.
And a key question is, how much do we really need single-use “disposable” plastics? Do most of us need a straw to drink? Do we need to put drinks in a plastic bag, only to place them into bowls? Are ikat tepi drinks really something to be proud of as part of Malaysian culture? Is the convenience worth the health risks and environmental destruction?
It was not too long ago that we mostly used banana leaves for packaging and steel tiffin carriers for catering meals. But convenience culture has since normalised the excessive use of plastics here. This is a major problem – Our landfills will be full by 2041, just 16 years away.
The Promise
We need to put a hard STOP to these plastics that are being produced at an alarming rate, and that’s where the Global Plastics Treaty (GPT), an international agreement to end plastic pollution, comes in.
The negotiating committee has had five meetings to develop this treaty. The final meeting (INC5.2) is happening now in Geneva.
For an effective GPT, it must tackle plastic pollution at its source, focusing on prevention, reduction, and sustainability, going beyond cleanup efforts, and targeting systemic change. Close to 130 organisations from all over Malaysia have signed on to a letter calling for stronger Malaysian leadership at INC-5.2 – to phase out harmful plastics and chemicals, reduce plastic production, increase regulations for plastic product design, enact stronger regulations on emissions and leakages, and implement waste prevention measures such as reuse and refill infrastructure.
Importance of turning off the plastic tap at the source and embracing zero waste
Zero waste solutions have been documented to create over 200 job opportunities in sectors like repair, reuse and recycling (Ribeiro-Broomhead & Tangri, 2021).
Our volunteer, Oh Sok Peng, began Refiller Mobile with the vision of reducing single-use plastics and creating a reuse economy on wheels, which has been running successfully for over four years.
Importantly, these organisations emphasised upstream solutions along the plastic supply chain, to reduce plastic consumption, as opposed to the usual focus on downstream waste management.
Local social enterprise Hara Makers, for example, works hard on programmes that raise awareness on our waste issues through river clean-ups, repurposing of excessive plastics and more. They work with local communities to emphasise that they are not waste management solution providers and do not magically make waste disappear, especially for large corporations.
Crucially, Hara Makers also warned that downstream solutions can be disastrous. Well-intentioned projects that introduce plastic waste as raw materials to remote communities (e.g., using plastic sachets to make baskets) would only introduce plastic pollution to an area with no waste management infrastructure! Their transition from simply repurposing waste to refill solutions, piloted with PPR residents, has empowered a working refill and reuse model – showing positive signs of how reduction-at-source is a strong long term solution.
It is up to us!
Zero Waste Malaysia is a grassroots organisation, and we strongly advocate that “sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi zero waste bukit”.
Stronger policies and regulations can expedite this – Incentives for zero waste businesses, better infrastructure for repair, elimination of chemicals for safer recycling, and more, are what we need to see at INC-5.2.
The mission has always been clear – We should not be creating waste, then finding solutions to manage it. Upstream restrictions on plastic availability can drive innovation in systems change and better design. We should prioritise zero waste and safe closed-loop systems.
We invite you to take a stand by raising awareness on these issues to your networks, sharing with friends and families, and writing in to local councils and ministers – particularly our new environment minister, who spearheads the negotiations in the upcoming Global Plastics Treaty: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/plastics-treaty-contact-your-minister/
This opinion piece was written by Zero Waste Malaysia, with support from Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4 Center), Consumers’ Association of Penang, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Zero Waste Sabah, Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia (EPSM) and Basel Action Network.
For more information, media representatives may contact media@zerowastemalaysia.org (+60173359445 on WhatsApp).
ABOUT ZERO WASTE MALAYSIA
Established in 2016, Zero Waste Malaysia (“ZWM”) is a non-profit organisation and community group based in Malaysia advocating for sustainable development and aiming to increase the local community’s awareness of sustainable living. Learn more about the cause at https://zerowastemalaysia.org.